Saturday, January 24, 2009

This is a classic powerpop record . Zero ambition is another one of my faves . Following the fragmentation of their previous band in 1977, John Clay, Keith Newby and Rob Hampson brought in the youthful and talented Ash Aisthorpe to play bass in a new band to be called "The Classics".Based in Lincolnshire / South Humberside - specifically Scunthorpe and Grimsby - the first few months into 1978 were pretty tempestuous - it became apparent after a fair number of gigs that Keith and Rob were not entirely committed to things so Ash and John split and found a new drummer in Mick Freer from Grimsby, whilst retaining the name of "The Classics". At the same time fellow Scunthonian Steve Robinson joined on Guitar and Vocals for a brief period but his time was short lived due to a preoccupation with all things American or the Rolling Stones, hardly credible leanings for a budding Punk / New Wave band.It wasn't long before the band became a 3 piece for a short period after Steve's departure, until they came across Shaun Ashworth from Doncaster who joined on keyboards ( Shaun later went on to tour the world with Edwin Starr ).This period between 1978 and 1980 saw the band at their most creative when most of the original material was written and they gigged regularly in the Yorkshire / Lincolnshire / Humberside and Nottinghamshire region where they were good crowd pullers. Early in 1980 Shaun, a talented but volatile personality left the band and The Classics became a 3 piece yet again.Demoing 3 songs at Fairview Studios in Hull - "Check Her Alibi", "New Generation" and "Zero Ambition", the tapes led to a single deal with Future Earth Records from Doncaster. The band went back into Fairview and recorded the single "Zero Ambition" and "In The Night" ( with Terry Wincott from Amazing Blondel of all people guesting on keyboards ) for subsequent release on 18th Oct 1980, under the new guise of "Backseat Romeos". The name change was due to another band operating under the name of the Classics.Over the Xmas period of 1980 John had 2 lengthy auditions with Magazine in London and was asked to go back for a full week with a view to joining the band, work commitments prevented this and the opportunity was lost, although Magazine split themselves only a few months later.Sadly Mick left Backseat Romeos in early 1981 and his place was taken by Trev Fearnley, Johns old drummer from Seagull days in the early 70's. This led to a rockier sound but whilst this line up was potentially the strongest the band had, things were getting tired and by late 1981 they decided to split..REFERENCES - http://www.boredteenagers.co.uk/backseatromeos.htm.FUTURE EARTH RECORDS 1980.1. ZERO AMBITION2. IN THE NIGHT.***DOWNLOAD***

I love this record ! Nervous Breakdown is another one of my favorite powerpop songs . The B side has a reggae thing going on . While not as good as the A side, It's still a strong tune . Formed in 1976, White Heat soon found themselves to be an integral part of the North East music scene, their brand of high energy rock attracting a strong local following.The band, based around the songwriting partnership of Alan Fish , and Bob Smeaton, also included, the brilliant guitarist Bryan Younger, Col Roberts on bass and, on drums, John Miller 1976-80 and 1981-82 and George Waters 1980-81 . The band's 1st single 'Nervous Breakdown' (released on the independent Valium label) was picked up by Radio 1 DJ John Peel, which lead to healthy sales of the record and, more importantly, brought them to the attention of Richard Branson and Virgin Records.Two more singles and an album followed before White Heat finally called it a day.Their break up and last concerts were filmed for the 30 minute Tyne Tees documentary 'Check It Out' and their final gig at the Mayfair attracted a sell out crowd.To this day the members of White Heat have remained good friends and have collaborated on various projects..REFERENCES - http://www.attention-seekers.com/alan.htm.VALLIUM RECORDS 1979.1. NERVOUS BREAKDOWN2. SAMMY SEZ.***DOWNLOAD***

All of this bands records are fantastic and well worth owning if you can find them . A disc on Overground records called What a bunch of rodents , compiles most if not all of their recordings . Ill put a link for them at the bottom of the post . Satan’s Rats formed in Evesham, Worcestershire in January 1977, with an average age of just seventeen.Their appearance at the Birmingham Punk Festival and support to the Sex Pistols at the Roxy soon saw the band build a large following and inevitably drew them to the attention of record labels.Their first demo earned them a deal with DJM Records. Hardly a punk label, it was home to Elton John and Johnny Guitar Watson and also the enigmatic Rikki Sylvan (from Rikki & The Last Days Of Earth) who would produce their first two singles.The first single ‘In My Love For You’ was released in 1977. Bob Geldof reviewed in the NME and slagged it off. The second single ‘Year Of The Rats’ released early in 1978 fared no better, sinking without a trace despite being regarded as something of a classic these days.For their third single ’You Make Me Sick’ they had Vic Maile (Dr Feelgood/Fruit Eating Bears) as producer. He managed to capture the anger of the band perfectly and this single, released in 1978 was undoubtedly their finest moment. Julie Burchill reviewed it in the NME, she hated it.Later that year Paul Rencher quit, the band recruited vocalist Wendy Wu, changed their name to The Photos, signed to Epic and had a hit album..REFERENCES - http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/satan2.htm / http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/satan3.htm / http://www.overgroundrecords.co.uk/catalogue.asp?Start=31.DJM RECORDS 1978.1. YOU MAKE ME SICK2. LOUISE.***DOWNLOAD***

This is one of my all time favorite powerpop records . The Kicks were originally known as The Incredible Kidda Band were Nuneaton’s finest and probably only real power pop punk band in the seventies. Lively and energetic, you always knew when this band were on stage you were in for a good time, they never let an audience down and they probably never left the stage without an encore during their height.The classic Incredible Kidda Band line-up featured Alan Hammonds, Kidder, Dave Lister, Les Rollason, Johnny Rollason and Dick Millington.By 1980 they reinvented themselves as The Kicks and went on to release the singles Get Off The Telephone, Big Boys Don’t Cry, If Looks Could Kill and Don’t She Look Fab.By the end of the 80s, the band had changed into We’re Only Human and all was pretty much over for The Kidda Band and their guitar-based style of new wave rock.This and most of this bands recordings can be had on the disc Too much, Too little, Too late, on Detour records . I just recently picked the disc up and its awesome !! Click over to Detour and get one for yourself, you wont be disappointed..REFERENCES - http://www.kidda-band.co.uk/BBC%20Radio%20Coventry.htm / http://www.detour-records.co.uk/CDs.htm.CARRERE RECORDS 1980.1. GET OFF THE TELEPHONE2. BIG BOYS DON'T CRY.***DOWNLOAD***

Great record from two cool bands . I saw the Hi-Fives once at Maxwell's in Hoboken N.J. and I came away impressed . I think welcome to my mind was new at the time . Both of these bands have lots of records that are worth owning . The Hi-Fives are a band from the San Francisco Bay area which formed in 1994 after drummer Al Sobrante left the previous incarnation, The Ne'er Do Wells. Sobrante was replaced by drummer Julie, formerly of Red #9. Julie remained with the band through the recording of the first Lookout! Records album Welcome To My Mind. The title track was a minor hit on college radio and modern rock stations.Julie left the band for personal reasons and was replaced by Evan from Benicia. The band was asked to open for Green Day during the 1994 Dookie tour, along with Pansy Division. Evan left the band after the tour and was replaced by Danny Seelig from The Phantom Surfers.The band won a category in the 1996 Bay Area Music Awards ("Bammies") for "Outstanding Alternative Pop/Rock Group" and embarked on a tour in the United States and Japan with the Mr. T Experience. While on U.S. tour with The Queers, Jess and Danny both quit the band onstage after a fight. They returned to record the second album And A Whole Lotta You, but both were soon replaced with Steve Faine, previously of Decal and The Stimmies; and Gary Gutfeld of Redemption 87.The 1998 album Get Down followed but the band never quite recovered from the loss of Hilliard, who was really the heart and soul of the band. John Denery got married and moved to Hawaii, while Chris Imlay became an art director for such magazines as Gearhead and MacAddict. The band played a couple of shows in 2005, & is playing a show in January 2008 supporting the Mr. T Experience.The Odd Numbers originated in early '88 playing their own brand of the music . Heavily influenced by early '60's beat music, Tamla, Motown, and of course, Punk, they decided to take their sound to the San Jose streets. Playing parties and looking for a break in the club scene. After getting a good reaction at the Cactus Club, they began playing shows for the Berkeley Pop Art scene. After a bit of a break the Odd Numbers are back and ready to record their 5th L.P. along with a beraugh of singles to go along with it. I want to bring back the lost art of making good singles, says Baisa. The new single " HIgh Alert" is out now!.

I think this band was really underrated. I like their album allot too . Sad they didn't release more , but then again , I am a fan of the Sound as well . The Outsiders were a three piece band from South London and were name checked in Caroline Coon's book 1988 A Punk Rock Explosion. They played a couple of times at The Roxy, Vortex and the usual punk circuit.Heavily influenced by the Velvet Underground and Iggy & The Stooges their music is a Heartbreakers type melodic punk .Raw Edge was their own labelAdrian Borland continued after The Outsiders with The Sound making quite a few records but again without success. Sadly Adrian took his own life in the end..REFERENCES - http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/outsiders.htm / http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=30700263.RAW EDGE RECORDS 1977.1. ONE TO INFINITY2. NEW UNIFORM3. CONSEQUENCES4. FREEWAY.***DOWNLOAD***

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Tucson's Yard Trauma. Founding members Joe Dodge (guitar, vocals) and Lee Joseph (bass) had previously done time together in a precursor band, Johnny 7, before forming Yard Trauma at the end of 1982. Although hardcore punk was taking hold locally at the time, Yard Trauma decided to experiment with such odd sounds as drum machines played through fuzzboxes, shortwave radios, and tape loops merged with poetry read on top of the wall of noise. After doing a few shows as a duo, a real drummer and a keyboard player were added to the lineup in time for a debut single, "Some People" b/w "No Conclusions," as well as a full-length, The Red Album, before splitting up in January of 1984 when Joseph relocated to Los Angeles. But after the album received favorable reviews in the underground press, Dodge and Joseph began having second thoughts. This led to the pair to writing songs by sending demos back and forth in the mail, before they reunited in Phoenix to record a sophomore effort, Must Have Been Something I Took. Dodge then followed Joseph back to Los Angeles, as the duo tried in vain to find a permanent drummer. Although they were unsuccessful (going through numerous skin beaters, including one who was briefly a member of one of G.G. Allin's many bands), Yard Trauma began building a following in Europe solely on the strength of the press attention given to their albums. 1988 saw the release of the band's third album overall, Face to Face, which included guest appearances on lead guitar by several other artists, including Brett Gurewitz from Bad Religion. Further albums followed, including 1990's Lose Your Head and 1994's Oh My God (during which time Joseph created and ran the independent label, Dionysis Records), before the duo decided to call it a day. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide.REFERENCES - http://www.answers.com/topic/yard-trauma / http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=196602234.DIONYSUS RECORDS 1983.1. SOME PEOPLE2. NO CONCLUSIONS.***DOWNLOAD***

I really like this band, I'm not sure but this may be their first record . They have a great retro 70's punk rock feel to them, with just enough quirkiness to make them interesting . I agree with the comparisons below , that's why I included the review with this post . With out a doubt, a great record . All their records are worth owning . They have a tune on their Eastern Cities record called Sex Crimes that really blows me away. Maybe I'll post that some time .The Fuses, are a punk four-piece from Baltimore, known for their aggressive, minimalist sound. Combining elements of new wave, no wave, art punk, and political lyrics, they are often compared to Wire, Mission of Burma, and Gang of Four. The band formed in May 1997 and released their debut full-length, I Wanna Burn, in 1998. After releasing several 7'"s, they followed up with Are Lies in April 2000. ~ Alex Zorn, All Music Guide

Here we have another one of those records that I really cant find much info on . All I can tell you is that Double O were a DC area hardcore band from the early 80's . For my money, Is It Better is the best song on here. Death of a Friend is an interesting track, however, It starts out with a cool sounding intro . And then it breaks into another different sounding intro with synthesisers. Building up to a climax of yet another different sounding intro, before finally breaking into a forgettable sloppy played mid tempo punk track. Yet some how it works . It's almost like they had a bunch of spare intros they never used and turned them into a song. Even though I no it sounds like I'm beating this up, I really do like this record. If you have any info on the band I would like to hear it..R&B RECORDS 1983.1. YOU'VE LOST2. IS IT BETTER3. GREY TO BLACK4. DEATH OF A FRIEND5. THERE'S NO REASONING.***DOWNLOAD***

This is a really sad story about a band that had so much potential . I wonder how many more great records the world was in store for, had these guys had some more time together . This is a great comp of their now hard to get singles, and alt. versions of various tunes from their outstanding Guitar Romantic record. The Exploding Hearts were a awesome punk/powerpop outfit from Portland, Oregon. The band comprised of vocalist/guitarist Adam Cox, bassist Matt Fitzgerald, guitarist Terry Six, and drummer Jeremy Gage. During the early 2000s the band rose to prominence in the US Pacific Northwest scene with a combination of energetic live shows and extremely well received singles.The band drew their influence from early British punk bands like The Undertones, Buzzcocks, The Jam, The Boys and The Only Ones, as well as pop acts like Nick Lowe. The Exploding Hearts led a revival of 1970s-era power pop and new wave in the Seattle and Portland area along with bands like The Briefs and the Epoxies on the then-Seattle-based Dirtnap Records. They released only one album, Guitar Romantic, during their existence as a band.On July 20, 2003 the band was in a car accident which claimed the lives of three members. Their touring van flipped over on Interstate 5 just north of Eugene, Oregon while en route from San Francisco to Portland. Jeremy Gage and Adam Cox were thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, Matthew Fitzgerald, died at a hospital. Terry Six and band manager Rachelle Ramos both survived with minor injuries. The band ceased to exist in the aftermath of the accident , but their popularity continues to grow .

This is a great slab of classic early 80's British mod inspired pop . It's kind of hard to believe, with such a contrast in style but, All three members of the aces were in the great 70's punk band Menace . I'm pretty sure this was their only single , and what a great one it was . From what I gather after the aces , the bass player Charlie Casey joined the Dark and Steve Tannet ran IRS records.

Monday, January 12, 2009

The Returnables were a Chicago-based quartet which formed in Madison, Wisconsin, on former Naked Raygun leader Jeff Pezzati's label. (He executive produced and played piano on one track.) Stirring melodies, breathless rhythms and evident knowledge of a wide variety of forbears set up songs that don't stint on raucous power or silly high school lyrics ("She Throws Punches," "Your Teenage Friends," "Bubblegum" — it makes perfect sense that girls' names figure in the titles of four songs here) but also sparkle with tuneful wit, sharp hooks and fine club-honed playing. (And kudos for including "Monica," a previously unrecorded song written by former Green/Lilacs bassist Ken Kurson.) The spectrum on Unrequited Hits runs from the Buzzcocks to the Elvis Brothers to the Smugglers. On 7/14/05, the band came to an end when guitarist John Glick was killed alongside Silkworm's Michael Dahlquist and The Dials' Doug Meis in a tragic auto collision. But the music goes on..REFERENCES - http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=returnables / http://www.myspace.com/thereturnables.JETTISON MUSIC 2002.***DOWNLOAD***

The Accidents were a mod band from Essex, U.K. . They had this great single and a unreleased full length titled , Kiss Me On The Apocalypse . I think a few years back Detour records may have released it, but I have never heard it . I couldn't find much else on this band, so if you have any info please feel free to share it with us.

I always thought the singer of this band sounded like the singer of the Payola's. Or maybe it's the other way around. At any rate this is a great sing along punk record , enjoy . Formed in 1978 by guitarist Stan Townhouse and singer Wally Gunn, a veteran of the scene who had played in many '70s cover bands (including Blue Stone with future Breathless member Mark Avsec), this five-piece new wave band injected zany theatrics into three-chord punk. The result? Shows where the band (and the audience) would dress up in garbage bags, or any other ill-fitting thrift store get up.Despite the parody party approach, the Baloney Heads were one of the few local bands to get WMMS airplay with a self-released single. Their "I'm a Drunk" 45, released in 1980, became a local favorite. They then disbanded two years later. Gunn later became the drummer for the Balls of Fire..REFERENCES - http://www.cleveland.com/music/index_story.ssf?/music/more/local/timeline/1980/1980newwave.html / http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:w9fwxqrkldte.O - NO RECORDS 1980.1. I'M A DRUNK2. LIFES ROUGH3. D.T'S.***DOWNLOAD***

This Bay area hardcore band has all the right influences. This is a great single . I think the last few years have had a great resurgence of 80's sounding hardcore bands . But what's great is that most of the stuff I have been hearing, while definitely wearing their influences proudly, still come off memorable and original sounding . Deadfall is no exception . From what I gather, they,ve been around since 1998 and have at least 3 singles, a number of comp appearances and I think a full length . Also Six Weeks records released a collection of most if not all of their recorded material . Great band highly recommended ! go buy their records . Check them out .

Tomorrow , the A side of this record is an absolute powerpop gem. The B side is pretty forgetable. Rotjoch was a Dutch band that was founded in 1978 in Hilversum, The Netherlands. In 1981 they made a single for Egmond Records (a sublabel of Polydor) called "Tomorrow/Rock & Roll Rendez Vous" produced by Jos van Woudenberg en Ronald v.d. Brink. Later that year they made the LP "Bad Boy" and a single called "Bad Boy/Berry Lover". They were also produced by Van Woudenberg en V.d. Brink..REFERENCES -http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=316386653.POLYDOR / EGMOND RECORDS 1981.1. TOMORROW2. ROCK & ROLL RENDEZ-VOUS.***DOWNLOAD***

The Masonics are a cool British garage three piece, in the vein of the Milkshakes . I'm not really sure how long they've been around but their Myspace dates their first album at 1991, so they've been around at least that long . They have quite a few releases, that for the most part I'm sure are still available . They also appear to have a new album called Royal and Ancient, so head over to their Myspace check them out and pick it up . You can also head on over to Slovenly where you may still be able to pick this up , along with lots of other great releases ..REFERENCES - http://www.myspace.com/themasonics / http://www.slovenly.com/.SLOVENLY RECORDINGS - 2006.1. WHEN YOU CRY AT NIGHT2. WHERE'S JOHNNY MOPED NOW ?.***DOWNLOAD***

Saturday, January 10, 2009

The year was 1998, after a night of drinking and strippers, my Friends and I drove down to a bar called the Court Tavern in New Brunswick N.J. . I wanted to end my bachelor party with a band called Electric Frankenstein . I had been listening to them for some time, but had never seen them live . they had a great lineup at that time with Steve Miller on vocals, and Jim Foster of A.O.D fame on guitar . I wasn't disappointed, they were awesome and I had a great time . According to their site this is their first single , and only 1000 were pressed . I'm sure its been reissued on some kind of comp or something . The band was formed in 1991 by brothers Sal and Dan Canzonieri aka Danny Frankenstein. With Sal on guitar and Dan on bass, their FIRST lineup was with Frankie Orlandini on vocals, Jim Foster on lead guitar and John Caton on drums. Within one year, Steve Miller took over as singer /vocalist and also played lead guitar. Steve took time off while recording a side project and Scott Wilkins of Verbal Abuse and Condemned to Death took over vocals for 2 years, after which Steve Miller returned on vocals and lead guitar. John Steele and Rob Sefcik took over playing drums alternately sharing, over the last 15 years. The band's music has been featured in video games, such as Tony Hawk's Underground, TV shows such as Viva La Bam, The X-Files and Dawson's Creek, and movies such as Signs and American Psycho 2.

Happy New Year ! So many records so little time . Up first is this great single from the Queer Pills, A.K.A The Angry Samoans . I'm not going to go on and on about these guy's, all you really need to know is just about all their releases are great, you should own them all . I believe the Samoans are still around in some form. The Angry Samoans Formed in August 1978 in Los Angeles, California by early 70's rock writer "Metal" Mike Saunders and his brother lead guitarist Kevin Eric Saunders, along with co-conspirator Gregg Turner (another rock writer, for CREEM Magazine during the late 70's-mid 80's) and original recruits bassist Todd Homer and drummer Billy Vockeroth.

The Samoans' first release, Inside My Brain, was one of the early hardcore punk albums to come out of the 1980 LA punk rock scene. In between this recording and Back from Samoa, the band released a four-song EP as "The Queer Pills," allegedly using the pseudonym because the vocals were done by the bass player.

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Unfortunately, all of my pre 2/19/12 online files were lost during the takedown of Megaupload. I hope to eventually fix all of my broken links in time. But until then, if there's something you really want to hear I’ll consider requests.